In reviewing all the definitions of the word Dumb, I came across a slight connection between the origin of the definition and the meaning of the word. In Gothic, Old Norse, and old English, dumb was used to mean speechless or mute. During that time period, the closest adaptation to the definition of foolish I could find originated in Old German. I was looking for such a definition since that is more commonly used in that definition. In Old German dumb could mean to not understand, which was most likely derived from the original sense deaf or mute. In modern day English, the majority of definitions are also medically based like Old German’s original derivative, lacking speech, An interesting definition mentioned in the Oxford English Dictionary was lacking a quality or property relating to disease, and a synonym suggested was even as literal as a fever (OED.)
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